Orthodontic attachment



I Oct. 20,1959

Filgd Dec. 27. 1957 'J. J. STIFTER Q 2,908,974

ORTHODONTIC ATTACHMENT 3 SheetsSheet; 1

INVENTOR.

JOHN J. STIFTER BY CORBETT, MAHONEY,

M|LLER,8- RAMBO ATTYS- Oct. 20, 1959 .1; J. STIFTER ORTHODONTICATTACHMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 27, 1957 FIG'IO FIG.|I

' FIG. 25

FIG. 23 FIG. 24

FIG. 20 FIG.- 2|

9 Wu F B B F INVENTOR.

JOHN J STIFTER BY GORBETT MAHONEY FIG. 22

RAMBO ATTYS. BY

fiflm MILLER. a.

1959 J. J. STIFTER Q 2,908,974

7 ORTHODONTIC ATTACHMENT T Filied Dec. 27, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet s FIG. 26

INVENTOR.

JOHN J. STIFTER BY GORBETT, MAHONEY,

MILLER,8. RAMBO ATTYS.

oRrnono Tic'ATrAcnMENT 7 Iohn J. Stifter, CdlumbusQQhio p ApplicationDecember 27,1957, :Serial No. 705,596

. '5-Claims; c1. 32-914 a mouth-ofa patient inattachment as embodying astandard anchor bracket in. the form of a female member and acooperating male socket'me'mber of the attachment? 1 Figure 5' is alabial view' o'f the socket member of:

" secured the female bracketby aligating wire; a: Figure 7showsmyattachment anchored to a tooth;

pressure inthe desired directions, the pressure-applying arch wire mustbe provided with a predetermined bend so as to apply the pressure on thetooth subsequently in' the rightdirectionand then the'wire'is insertedin the wire-receiving member. Obviously, if several teethareto bestraightened, anumber of predetermined different bends must be made inthe wire and'these are diflicult to make accurately sothat thestraightening forces areapplied in the right directions. Also, they mustbe varied as treatment progresses, which requires further bending;

According .to this invention I provide ananchor bracket adapted to .beanchored to a tooth band and a removable socket member which interfitstherewith and which has a socket at its exposed face, for receiving'anarch'wire. Ac: cording to my invention, allflanchorbrackets of a seriesare of'the same: or what Iiwill term standard'form'and size and each 'isdesigned to receive any one o'f-a series otj interchangeable socketmembers which -have wire receivingsockets' difierently arranged to"apply difierently; .r

directed pressures when positioned therein; Furthermore, these sockets:may be of diflerent shapes to receive differently shaped Wires. 'Merelyslipping the arch wire in position in the socket member will result inpositioning the wire so that it will elfect pressure on the tooth in theproper direction. The arch wire can-be slipped out of the socket memberwith ease to permit a dilferent socket member to beinterchanged on thebracket member and can 'be easily slipped back" into the socket of thenew member.

Aecording' to this invention, th'ebrack'et'of a series preferably takesthe form ofa female attaching member or saddlewhich-is designed toreceive any one of a-series offinterchangeable'male wire-receivingsocket members.

The inter-fitting connectionbetween the two members is 1preferablyfajdovetail or mortise and tenon arrangement. Although themale so'cket'members are all standard in the series insofar as theirrelationship to the female members is concerned, each male memberis-provided with a different arrangement of itswire-receiving socket inorder to receive the'wi're and direct the=pressure properly.Furthermore, as indicated above, the sockets of different series may be"difierently' shaped to" receive wires of diife'rent cross se'ctionalshape. With thisa'rrangement, it is merely socket member but it is to beunderstood-that the. relationship of these membersmay be reversed aslong as they. removably interfit. Also, 'a number of difierent socketmembers are shown but it is to be understood thatmany more may beprovided. p

Inthese drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of an assembled female anchor bracket andan 'interfitting male socket member forming the orthodonticattachment-of. my 1 invention.

Figu're 2 is a mesial or distal en'd vievv of the female bracket of theattachment; i 7 i Figure 3 is a labial View of the-bracket of Fi glire li viewi' of the malr Figure-'4 is 'a mesial or distal end Figured. 1 vFigure 6" is a labial view in perspective ofthe-assembled attachmentwith the arch wire 'and male socket member Figures 8 to 11, inclusive,are of'distal end views of attachments according to my invention havinga standard female member and a series ef-male socket members with thesocket of each male membera'rrangedto'obtain a'fdififerent torque effectwhen the arch wireis slipped therein."

Figures12 to 14 are similar enclviews of attachments having a seriesof-male socketmembers with the socket of each arranged to obtain adiiferent step-up or stepdown eftect. v 1 ii Figures 15 to' 17 arelabial views ofthe respective attachments of Figures 12 to 14. 1

Figures 18 to 21 are labial views of attachments hav ing' a series ofmale socket members with the-sockets of Figure 25 is "a diagram 'showingjthe use of my attachments'in orthodontic appilances. h

Figure 26' is a diagram showing a'male socket member ,i from the mesialor distal-aspect with a square socket there in-whi'ch opens at itsmesial and'distal ends. t

1 Figure 27 is a similar view showing a male member with atubularsocket. Figure- 28 shows aldiiferent male member with an out- 1wardly opening socket for receivinga circular Wire.

designed-to receive-twin arch Wires- Figure 30 shows a differentlyshapedmale member with a socket for receiving a ribbon type wire I if a V YWith reference to the drawings, in Figures l to 5, inelusive, I haveillustrated the preferred structure of my orthodontic attachment;As'previously indicated, this attachment consists of two main parts,namely, an an chor bracket or female member, which -I will designate jFigure 29 shows a different male member with a socket 1 by the'numeral30, and 'a socket member or male memnecessary to slip the wire intoany-0t the male socket membefson the various teethand the wirew illautomatically sary in the wire before being appliedto thesocket membersofthea'ttachniehtl her, which I will designate by thenumeral 31, themalemember being designed to interfit with and cooperate with'the femalemember. These members are preferably formed ofstainless-steel orprecious metal.

The' female member 30 is providedwitha ve'rticalinnerwall 32 which-hasan"exposed attaching face 33 for soldering orwelding toan anchor bandand is further provided' with the labially proje'cting .walls '34at'its: upperv and lower, edges. The walls 34 are disposed inconverging;

a relationship relative to each other to form anzundercuti' In theaccompanying drawings, I have illustrated the or dovetail mortise orpocket 36 at the labial side of the Patented Qct..20,- ;1959

female bracket 30. The extreme outer edges of the walls 34 are providedwith reversely bent edges which produce the hook-shaped extremities 37.

The male socket member 31 is formed for interfitting with the femalebracket 30 and is complemental therewith. It is provided with a maintenon 38 which is of dovetail cross-section. The labial face 39 of themember 31 is of arcuate form in a vertical direction and is providedwith the upper and lower projecting lips 40. In the curved labial face39 there is provided a socket 41 which extends transversely thereofbetween the mesial and distal ends of the member 31. Thus, this socket41 is open at its ends and at the labial face 39.

When the attachment is assembled, it will appear as indicated inFigure 1. To assemble the attachment, it is merely necessary to slip thetenon 38 of the male member 31 into one end of mortise 36 formed in thefemale member 30. Friction between the contacting mortise and the tenonsurfaces will hold them relatively secure. It will be noted from Figure1 that the inner curved surfaces where the lips 40 join the adjacenttenon surfaces of the member 31 will engage the outer surfaces of thehook-shaped edges 37 of the walls 34 of the member 30.

In anchoring the female bracket 30 to a tooth, the arrangement shown inFigures 6 and 7 can be used. The soldering or welding surface 33 of thebracket 30 is soldered or welded to the outer surface of an anchoringband 45 which will be suitably secured on a tooth T, as indicated inFigure 7. The male member 31 may then be positioned in the female member30 and will be held therein by the friction of the fit and sometimes bya ligating wire. The socket 41 of the member 30 is shown of rectangularshape, transversely thereof but can be varied, and will receive the archwire 46 which is of similar cross-section and which may be slippedthereinto from the face 39 of the member 31. The wire 46 may be held inplace by means of a ligating wire 47 which is wound around the hooks 37,as indicated in Figures 6 and 7. The ligating wire 47 will not only holdthe arch wire 46 in place, engaging the exposed edge thereof, but willpass over the exposed ends of the male member 31 adjacent the labialface 39 thereof to thereby prevent the male member 31 from slipping outof the ends of the female member 30.

It will be noted that the wire-receiving socket 41 of the male member 31described above is angled inwardly and downwardly. This would create atorque force which would tend to tilt the tooth of Figure 7 inwardly orlingually assuming that the tooth is a lower tooth, as indicated.However, it is to be understood that the socket 41 may be arranged inthe face of the member 31 in many different ways to obtain pressure onthe tooth in various directions.

In Figures 11 to 23, inclusive, by way of example, I have illustratedvarious arrangements of the wire-receiving socket to obtain differentpressure applications by the arch wire. However, it is to be understoodthat these are for illustration only and are not limiting since manyother variations may be provided. The ones illustrated are some whichwill be more commonly used. It will further be understood that the onlyvariations in these male members are in the arrangement and shape of thewire-receiving sockets and that all the male members of each series areinterchangeable in the standard female bracket.

In Figures 8 to 11, I have illustrated the respective sockets 41a, 41b,41c, and 41d. It will beapparent that these sockets 41a to 41d aretilted at gradually increasing angles in the respective male members ofthe series. Arch wires slipped into these various sockets will betwisted so as to, produce torque effects of increasing intensity. Thedifferent torque effects obtained in this manner are applicable todifferent tooth positions,e'ach male member being used for predeterminedsuccessive periods to obtain different torque effects as the treatmentprogresses.

Figures 12 to 14, inclusive, show a series of attachments, having malemembers provided with sockets 41a, 41 and 41g at different levelsrelative to the cooperating female member. Labial views of theserespective attachments are illustrated in Figures 15, 16, and 17, and itwill be apparent that the sockets of the various male members aredisposed at different levels. Each of these sockets will cooperate withan arch wire to obtain a different step-up effect, or by inverting themale socket member, a step-down effect, depending upon whether it isdesired to elongate or depress the tooth. Figures 15 to 17 furtherillustrate that the attachments may be of different widths or lengths inthe mesial-distal direction depending upon the width of the tooth.

Figures 18 to 21 show a series of sockets in the male members numbered41h, 41i, 41 and 41k and it will be noted that these sockets areangularly disposed relative to the vertical. These sockets, inconjunction with the arch wire, will provide for different mesial ordistal tip effects,

The series of socket members 41m, 4121, and 410 shown in Figures 22 to24 will, in conjunction with the arch wire, produce different step-in orstep-out effects since they extend into the male member differentdistances.

As pointed out above, these are only a few of the different socketarrangements which may be provided in various series of male members.Each series of male members will cooperate with the standard femalemember. With this arrangement, any desired effect can be obtained byselecting the proper male member, inserting it in the female member, andthen slipping the arch wire in place in the socket. Each socket will beshaped transversely thereof to receive an arch wire of predeterminedcrosssectional size and shape.

In Figure 25, I have illustrated diagrammatically the application of aseries of my attachments in an orthodontic appliance on the upper teethand in an orthodontic appliance on the lower teeth. The sockets in thevarious anchor brackets '30 will be selected so that when the arch wire46 is slipped therein, the wire will be bent automatically to producethe required pressure in the right direction to straighten that tooth.The ends of the wire will usually be anchored in socket members whichcompletely encase the arch wire forming a closed socket for freedom ofmovement of the arch wire in a mesiail-distal direction. A suitableanchoring member is shown in Figure 26 where it will be noted that thesocket 41p is of the same cross-sectional shape but is closed at itsouter side being open only at its mesial and distal ends.

Figure 27 shows an anchoring male member with a tubular socket 41qdesigned to receive a circular wire.

In Figure 28 the male member is provided with an openside socket 41rwhich is designed for receiving the same type circular wire.

Figure 29 shows a differently shaped male socket member with anoutwardly opening socket 41s designed to receive twin wires as indicatedin dotted lines.

Figure 30 shows a male member 31a with an anchoring socket 41t formed toreceive a ribbon wire. In this instance the male member 31a is ofslightly different shape and is disposed in a female member 30a whichdoes not have the ears for receiving the ligating wire. It will beapparent from the above description that I have provided an attachmentso designed as to permit the orthodontist to change the appliance at anytime during the treatment. The male members of the series will beinterchangeablein the standard female member of that series. Thedesiredpressures from the arch wire of the applicance will be createdmerely by slipping the wire into the various sockets of the attachmentsprovided on the teeth to be straightened. It is not necessary to formbends in the wire as in the past which is difiicult to do accurately andrequires considerable time.

Various other advantages will be apparent.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An orthodontic attachment comprising an anchor bracket adapted to beanchored to a tooth, and a socket member interfitting with said anchorbracket and having an outwardly opening socket for receiving an archwire.

2. An orthodontic appliance comprising an anchor bracket anchored to atooth, a socket member interfitting with said anchor bracket and havingan outwardly opening socket, and an arch wire fitting into said socket.

3. An orthodontic attachment comprising an anchor bracket member adaptedto be anchored to a tooth, a wirereceiving socket member, means formounting the socket member on the bracket member, said means comprisinga tenon on one of the members and a mortise on the other of the membersextending in a mesial-distal direction and which are of dovetail form,said socket member having a Wire-receiving socket, said bracket memberhaving the mortise formed in the outer face thereof and extending thefull mesial-distal extent thereof and said socket member having thetenon formed on its inner face, said bracket member having an inner wallwith an attaching face and 6 outwardly extending upper and lower wallsbetween which the mortise is formed, the outer extremities of said wallsbeing of hook-form to receive a ligating wire.

4. An orthodontic attachment comprising an anchor bracket to be anchoredto a tooth, and a socket member interfitting with said anchor bracketand having a socket adjacent its outer side for receiving an arch wire.

5. An orthodontic appliance comprisng an anchor bracket adapted to beanchored to a tooth, a wire-receiving socket member having an outwardlyopening socket for receiving an arch wire, and interfitting means formounting the socket member on the bracket member comprising a tenon onone of the members and a mortise on the other of the members whichextend in a mesial-distal direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS WirtNov. 5, 1935

